Vote-buying didn't have impact on the outcome of Ekiti election - NHRC declares

- Vote-buying in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election has been said to have no impact in the outcome of the election

- A group which monitored the election said it is wrong to uphold vote-buying as being largely responsible for the outcome of the election

- According to the group, workers in the state were paid 3,000 on the eve of the election to vote for Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka of the Peoples Democratic Party

The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC) has declared that vote-buying in the Saturday, July 14 Ekiti state gubernatorial election had no impact in the outcome of the election.

Vanguard reports that NHRC, which monitored the election, made its observation in a statement signed by Taiwo Adeleye and Comrade Sola Ajayi among others.

NAIJ.com gathers that the group stated that its observers observed a new culture of bribery and corruption in the electoral system. It said such practice is not new.

The statement read in part: "It is wrong to now uphold this development as being largely responsible for the outcome of the July 14 election. The reality is that it did not start today. It has been part of the problems confronting Nigeria since independence. For instance political parties are fond of buying food essentials for traditional rulers and community leaders ahead of election.

"This has been standard practice which is quite unfortunate. However, in 1999, there were no significant cases of bribe-for-vote across the country compared to what we have today. In Ekiti, workers were paid 3000 naira on the eve of the election as bribe so that they could vote for the state government favoured candidate. This is a well-known fact.

"The state government also paid 7,000 naira each to pensioners on the eve of the July 14 election. The cash paid was not listed as part of their legal entitlement but as inducement to ensure they voted for the PDP.

"There can be no clearer evidence of election malpractices than this. Under the Ekiti state administration, manipulation of elections through cash inducement is a directive through the framework of stomach infrastructure. We state here that Fayemi won the July 14 election convincingly. It is share blackmail to continue to lay claim that the election was manipulated."

The UK secretary of state for international development, Penny Mordaunt MP, made the call following a meeting with the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu in Abuja on Friday, July.